In-silico Discovery of Potential Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cell Division Protein FtsZ Inhibitors: A Natural Ligand Piperine-Derived 3-Point Pharmacophore Screening and Structure-Guided Blind Docking Study

Abstract

This research employs a computational strategy to identify potential inhibitors against Mycobacterium tuberculosis FtsZ, a crucial cell division protein. The crystal structure of FtsZ was meticulously validated, serving as the foundation for pharmacophore-based virtual screening and subsequent molecular docking simulations. Piperine, a natural ligand derived from black pepper, guided the development of a 3-point pharmacophore model, which successfully screened a diverse chemical database. Ten top-ranking compounds emerged with promising pharmacophore scores, demonstrating potential interactions with the FtsZ binding site. Molecular docking simulations revealed specific compounds, including ZINC000012440615 and ZINC000014658239, displaying consistent preferences for pocket C5 and C1, respectively. The structural analysis of FtsZ unveiled a diverse set of pockets (C1–C5) with varying volumes and sizes, emphasizing the complexity of the protein’s architecture. These findings provide crucial insights into potential inhibitors for further experimental validation and drug development against M. tuberculosis.